NIgeria To Build More Obstetric Fistula Hospitals -Adewole

Health Minister, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has said that the federal government would build three more obstetric fistula hospitals. This will bring the number to six by 2017 and help end the cases in the country.

Director Media and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Health, Mrs Boade Akinola, said this in a statement yesterday.

Adewole said this at the 6th International Conference of International Society on Obstetric Fistula Surgeon (ISOFS) in Abuja.

Obstetric fistula (or vaginal fistula) is a medical condition in which a hole develops between either the rectum and vagina or between the bladder and vagina after severe or failed childbirth. This happens mostly when adequate medical care is not available.

The statement said that the new fistula hospitals would be located in Ibadan, Oyo State; Ilorin, Kwara and Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

It quoted the minister as saying that the project was part of federal government’s contributions towards eradicating such cases in the country.

The statement disclosed that the ministry had earlier established three dedicated fistula hospitals in the country that are located in Abakaliki in Ebonyi State, Baba Ruga in Katsina State and Ningi in Bauchi State.

We Must End Obstetric Fistula in Nigeria

Furthermore, the statement quoted Adewole as saying the government is poised to end the disease. It also identified education and poverty as being critical to ending cases of obstetric fistula.

“It is not enough to keep on repairing fistula. We should do everything possible to stop all new cases of obstetric fistula in Nigeria.”

“We need to tackle the root causes by addressing education and poverty.”

“When a woman is educated, she will understand what it means to have a child and understand what it means to seek for medical care when things are not going well.”

It said that when people were educated and had the resources, they could live and eat well. Also, they will attend to issues that affect their health.

Nigeria has a large number of Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF) patients nationwide; it has close to 150, 000 cases and government is working with other international partners to help the victims.